


My Favorite Student

by Probs_not_perfect



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Cross-Generational Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Probs_not_perfect/pseuds/Probs_not_perfect
Summary: The students at Yasogami High are impossible. The boys won't pay me any attention, the girls think they're all that, and this dead-end town couldn't be more boring! All I have to look forward to is my next break while these idiots enjoy their youth without sparing me a second glance. They're all rotten brats!Thank god for Hanako Ohtani.
Relationships: Kashiwagi Noriko & Ohtani Hanako
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	My Favorite Student

I don’t know what that Morooka did to these kids before his life was cut short, but I should be compensated for the effect their trauma has had on my teaching experience. Sure, some of them test well enough, and I’m glad to brag about their scores and even reward them, but we all know that _learning_ is only half of what I expect from my students. If their failure to meet my expectations isn’t coming from Morooka’s lasting impression or his angry spirit haunting the classroom, then I just don’t have a clue what their problem is. Although, keeping in mind some of the rejects in the other homerooms, maybe it’s just something in the water around here. That’d sure explain the murders and disappearances and whatnot.

But honestly, is it too much to ask for a _little_ appreciation around here?

Any other young man would throw themselves at my feet if I put in _half_ the effort I usually do to entice my students, and these useless idiots can’t even be bothered to pay me a compliment! I wear my most flattering, curve accentuating, skin revealing outfits and strut around the front of the classroom while spouting out whatever drivel shows up in the lesson plan, and my male students hardly look in my direction at all! How repressed do you have to be to deny such a radiant beauty right in front of you? When I was their age (which of course, wasn’t _that_ long ago) my male classmates would always drool and make crude jokes about harpies working at the school who were much less well-endowed and graceful than myself. What gives with this bunch of losers? Their whole generation must be completely screwed up.

If you can believe it, I even heard one particularly braindead student whispering about my age right in the classroom! The audacity! I should have kicked his math grade down a few notches, since he was _obviously_ way off the mark! You know, it’s truly a slap in the face to hear myself be badmouthed by a group of kids I’ve done so much for. Ungrateful little bastards. I let them have full control of our class’s festival activities, I picked out a beautiful and classy hotel during the school trip, and I pretend not to notice when slackers like Hanamura get answers from their smarter friends. How do they repay me? Gossiping about me, avoiding eye contact (and avoiding the places I actually _want_ them to look), and not voting for me in the…

_Oh I can’t think about that. It’s too painful. I was so certain…_

Maybe I should cut the young men some slack. After all, how can I expect them to know what a real woman looks like with the sad excuses they’ve got walking around. Don’t get me started on that little miss _teen idol_. Could you believe she had the gall to make her classroom debut on the same day I became a permanent homeroom teacher? Obnoxious little brat! I made sure to let my class know that there’s absolutely nothing special about her. All those curvy pictures of her must be photoshopped to hell and back, not to mention that trashy striptease TV special. I could have done that _so_ much better, if I’d been given the chance. Still no clue what network that was on, but I’ll get their number one of these days.

As if she wasn’t bad enough, there’s that awful Amagi girl in my homeroom that all the boys fawn over. Now I have to admit, their inn is fabulous, and I would have certainly tried to befriend her if I was a student. But they all act like she’s some sort of gorgeous princess. Just because she’s old money and has a bright future no matter what, she thinks she can waltz around with a prissy little attitude and no figure in sight, rejecting all the boys as if she doesn’t wear the brightest of reds to get their attention! What a horrible snob! Personally, I suspect something’s up between her and that frumpy tagalong, Satonaka. Maybe then the boys could leave them to each other and focus on the real prize at the front of the class.

I won’t say much about that Shirogane girl, only because it brings back painful memories. Of course there’s the pageant, but prior to her shameless gender reveal I was delighted to hear the detective prince was in town! Wouldn’t any young man want to solve the mystery of how beautiful Miss Noriko got stuck in such a dead-end town? Perhaps a _real_ prince would, but not some phony playing dress up. How selfish of her to have admirers of both genders. As if I needed more confirmation that every student at the school is completely out of their mind. The therapy bill they’re going to wrack up one day is truly shameful. I spend most of my days waiting for out next vacation, eager to return to the beach where young men will openly flirt with me, unrestricted by the rules and etiquette of a classroom. God forbid any of the Inaba students show up and spread their weirdness to other young people.

Of course, there’s an exception to every rule. The only worthwhile student at Yasogami high is unfortunately not even in my homeroom class, but we see each other during her biology period and sometimes she’ll swing by my class on her way to Phys Ed. She’s not the biggest fan of running, so on track days I usually forge a note for her and we’ll sit at my desk and gossip while my class watches a movie or has a study day. They know better than to interrupt us, and if they aren’t going to pay me any attention then I at least expect them not to tattle on me to the principal. Our primary gossip hour is during lunch, as I refuse to slum it in the staff room with the other old slobs stuck at this awful school. My very first week of being full time, one of them made a comment about my wardrobe. If my position wasn’t so fresh I would have called out her jealousy; clearly she wished she had the courage or the assets to dress as well as me. You can’t put silk on a rat, sweetie.

Lunch with Hanako is lightyears more rewarding. All the local takeout places know our orders by heart and I always order it at just the right time so she can pick it up from the front office on her way to my classroom. Ordering out isn’t something students are allowed to do obviously, but as far as they’re concerned Hanako is just being a dear and bringing me my meals as a favor. Another little secret between friends; as if I’d force her to eat the slop they whip up here anyways. I don’t mind footing the bill for both of us. She pays me back with the latest dirt from around the school!

“You know Kanji Tatsumi? I heard from a first year today that they saw him buying fabric and stuff in Okina!”

“No way.” That big, tall delinquent? Maybe there’s a soft center under his skull tank top and bulging muscles. Well, I knew there was a romantic side in there somewhere. Hanako told me all about what happened on their school camping trip. “Maybe he would have given you a stuffed bear on your second date.”

She laughed at the teasing. “Maybe. Too bad he’s such a misfit. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“Absolutely.” I admired her self-esteem. Some of these other tarts could learn a thing or two. “I’ve messed around with my fair share of bad boys, but of course I’d never settle down with one. You’ll always have that night in the tent.”

Her cheeks went a little pink at the memory. “Yeah, that’s enough for me.” Slurping up a few noodles, she regained her composure and flipped her hair. “Left him wanting more, of course. Remember how he snuck into our room at the inn? So desperate!”

Yes, that magical night at the inn after such a horrible festival gone wrong. We’d gone to drown our sorrows in the hot springs after that colossal disaster, but were visited that night by a pack of young studs! They tried to play coy after we caught them, but what can you expect? I do remember the Tatsumi thug being there, along with Narukami and Hanamura and their strange friend in the costume. I like to think Yu is a little sweet on me, since he works so hard to perform well on his exams and accepted all the clothing I gave him, but he’s too much of a gentlemen to do anything about it. Guess he must have been emboldened by his friends that night. Even Hanamura seems to have a little more courage, seeing as he invited Hanako on a date!

I _have_ to hear the story again. “Tatsumi wasn’t the only one there. Don’t forgot the Junes boy who asked you out in the city. They must have been fighting over you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as she blanched at what she’d termed “the most hideous, embarrassing, and pathetic date” of her life. She took a swig from her large drink and swallowed loudly. “Yosuke Hanamura is a total jerk! He calls me out of the blue, blowing up my phone and practically begging me to go out with him, and then his stupid bike didn’t even work! Hello? You’re the prince of Junes! Why can’t you afford a working scooter?” She shook her head, straightening out her hair again as though to shake the memory off her completely. “You were right all along. This school has totally slim pickings when it comes to guys. I think Narukami is the only chance I’ve got left at a respectable boyfriend, but he hasn’t figured out it’s me leaving gifts in his locker yet.”

Wow. It’s remarkable how our tastes seem to align! I guess two beautiful and eligible women are bound to have our eyes on similar men. I’m willing to give up Narukami to her anyways; he’s much to slow for my liking. How many hints do I have to drop before he gets the picture? Maybe my next clothing reward should be one of my negligees. With my luck, he’d think it was for him and start wearing it to school! Or even worse, give it to one of his stupid friends. I better warn Hanako about all the rotten girls that seem to surround him.

“I think Narukami is a pretty good choice, but you should be wary of his trampy little entourage. I wouldn’t be too concerned about miss kung fu or the cross dresser, but the Amagi girl and miss teen dream might be a problem. I’ve seen how that idol wannabe clings to his arm in the halls.”

To my surprise, she actually scoffed and waved my concerns away without batting an eye. Her confidence almost rivals mine! Her parents must be so proud! “Thanks for the heads up, but I’ve already figured him out. I was talking to this girl Ai Ebihara, and she said that she and Yu totally had a fling earlier in the year. She’s over him now, thank goodness. But Ebihara is one of the most fashionable girls at our school, and way more popular than any of the girls in Yu’s little clique. I’d say Ebihara and I are pretty similar, so that makes me Yu’s type!”

Ah, I’d almost forgotten about that Ebihara chick. Of all the other little twerps flittering through the halls, I guess she isn’t so bad. She at least has the sense to make herself look appealing, and if she’s anything like Hanako then I like her more already. Maybe Narukami isn’t as dense as I thought. I’ve got to get more details.

“Did she say why they broke up?”

Hanako snorted. “Oh, you won’t believe it! Turns out she was just using him to get the attention of some meathead on the basketball team! That must have been such a heartbreak for Yu…which means he should already know his place when he asks me out.”

Fantastic! If he really got humbled by that Ai girl then we won’t have to worry about whipping him into shape. I’ll bet his gaggle of gal pals were so beside themselves to see him dragged around and then dumped on the spot. If only I had been around to see it for myself. No matter. With any luck I’ll soon have a front row seat to a new blossoming relationship between Yu and Hanako. If anyone deserves it, she does. I can’t imagine why she hasn’t had too much luck with guys before. Must be the same mysterious reason they don’t seem to have any interest in me. I hope she gets out of this dead-end town after high school. A girl like her needs to broaden her horizons. There are plenty of fine young men all over the world!

The lunch bell sadly begins to sing its hideous song and we clear away the remains of our food. We both sigh and say our goodbyes as she faces another boring lecture from a much less radiant teacher and I stare down the barrel at a class full of idiots who lack all of her innate charm and wit. Some of them even begin to file in early, much to my disappointment. There’s the Amagi girl and her sidekick chick, laughing about lord knows what. Seeing them gives me an idea though. I turn to catch Hanako before she steps into the hall, finding her already looking back at me.

“Can we meet up at the inn again this weekend? I’m craving a trip to the hot spring.”

Great minds think alike! “Took the words right out of my mouth. We can discuss the kind of gifts you’ve been leaving for you know who. I think I can offer some advice in that department.”

Just then, the handsome devil in question came sauntering in with Hanamura. Hanako and I giggled and exchanged winks. She went on her way and I readied myself for another thankless performance. As the rest of the class meandered in, I tried to tune into Yu’s conversation to see if he’d mention his secret admirer, but he wasn’t doing much talking. The Junes brat was all _partner_ this and _partner_ that, and the four them were whispering very vaguely about something. All I could make out was a few comments about a TV. How mundane. Maybe I should scrap today’s lesson plan and make them write about what they’d most like to receive from a romantic partner. Perhaps that would finally give one brave soul the chance to confess their affections for me, so long as I said only I would read their writings. And of course, I’d give Hanako all the details.

Better not. Wouldn’t want to encourage any of these girls to share what they wrote with the boys in a desperate attempt for attention. Guess I’ll stick to the same old material. As the class quiets down, I take my place sitting atop my desk, speaking in a sultry voice and showing off my gorgeous legs in what should be a tantalizing vision. As usual, they all divert their eyes and pretend I don’t exist, taking notes or maybe just scribbling in their notebooks to pass the time. What’s the use? I’ll just ramble through the rest of the lesson and dish out extra homework as punishment for the continued feigned ignorance of my beauty. They’ll groan and grumble, but my mind is already elsewhere. Our very next break, I’m going to buy a whole new swimsuit collection, hit the beach, and sunbathe while every man melts in my hand and the women burn with jealousy. In the meantime, I have this weekend to look forward to.

With any luck, Hanako and I will be blessed with more nighttime visitors!


End file.
